When Chris Paul missed three straight games for the Clippers with a bruised right kneecap, the team didn’t miss him nearly as much as you might have thought. That’s because they have an athletic and capable backup in Eric Bledsoe, who started in place of Paul and had two above average performances in helping L.A. win all three games that Paul was forced to sit.

There have been rumblings around the league that a trade might be a possibility for Bledsoe, considering how much he could help other teams and the overall depth of this Clippers roster. The chatter hasn’t come from the Clippers, however, who have no intention of doing anything to mess with a team that’s played so well to start the season.

Players can handle trade talk in a variety of ways, but Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro says that those rumors should be viewed as a positive, not a distraction.

“A lot of guys’ names will come up, but that’s a good thing,” Del Negro said Saturday. “That means people want you. That’s a positive thing.

“There’ll be all these rumors out there and things being said, and most of them probably won’t be very accurate. As guys’ names are out there, we’ll discuss things with them if there’s anything to it or whatever. I don’t see that being an issue for us. We’ve got pretty good balance on that and obviously, I’m always available.”

Bledsoe has averaged right around 17-18 minutes per game backing up Paul at the point guard spot, but those minutes are going to be even tougher to come by once Chauncey Billups eventually returns from injury.

That doesn’t necessarily make Bledsoe expendable, but you can believe the rumors will continue to swirl around him until the Feb. 21 trade deadline has passed.